PILOTed

Thoughts From a UK Teacher Teaching in the US

Liz O'Neill is a teacher from the UK who is now teaching Middle School in Minnesota. She recently took a course in Assessment for Learning (AFL) that was offered by ETS. Here she sums up some of the differences between teaching in the US and in the UK, why she took the course, how she intends to apply AFL.

In December, Liz wrote an article on teaching writing for The Writing Teacher. She also writes her own blog Mrs. O'Neill's Blog.

The following are her words:

Why did I take a Professional Development course in the US?

I found out about Assessment for Learning whilst I was still teaching in Scotland. I came back to teaching after a long break and was pretty appalled by the state of education in my local high school. (I was living in a fairly remote area where there was only one secondary high school in a radius of about 45 miles.) Not long after I returned, the school had its government inspection; it was deemed inadequate in most categories. The English department possibly came off best in the inspection, because they had just appointed a new department head that used the principles of Assessment for Learning herself. She was an excellent teacher.

One of the recommendations that the inspectors gave was that the school give professional development in AFL. AFL is considered best practice in Scotland as it is proven to raise achievement. Having said that many people use the jargon of AFL and don't actually make the radical changes it requires in the classroom.

When I came over to the States I was determined to use AFL as I believed it really helped students learn. However the way things were set up made that particularly difficult. The culture–perhaps because of NCLB or grade point averages–is very much centered on summative assessment, which is the expectation of pupils and parents alike. Assessment is used to exclusively to rank students, or to provide accountability.

AFL is about using assessment constantly to provide feedback to students, so that they might modify the way they are learning. It means being able to change direction whenever a class needs you to, and about knowing when learning is taking place. It involves the students a lot more and requires them to take responsibility for their learning. It obviously can't always be translated into a grade book. That might be a good thing. Students shouldn't be judging themselves against other students or even standards too often; they should be judging their own progress.

That's the theory anyway. And most of these ideas are not new to teachers. Lots of teachers know about these ideas. They have been around for several years. Black and Wiliam's research came out 1986 I think. Some teachers argue that its just common sense, which it is. A lot of teachers know about it, use the jargon and don't actually use it to inform their teaching.

What difference will Assessment for Learning make to me?

I attended the ETS seminar for the sole reason of getting some insight into adapting AFL in an American context. Many of the practices I had used prior to coming here were slowly being eroded. I was frankly paralysed by the centrality of summative assessment in education. Students didn't want comments on how to improve; they wanted their grades. They were uncomfortable when I did any activity that wasn't getting a summative grade. It seemed to impact their creativity in writing; for example, they would not try anything that might be wrong. It impacted how they read: they just wanted me to tell them what they needed to know 'for the test'. They weren't curious; they just wanted to know 'the right answer'.

I was succumbing to that mentality and grading far too much–which as an English teacher means an awful lot of grading. I was also going back to the sage on the stage style of teaching. Not only that but I was observing that this system doesn't really serve students; the winners love it, but the losers hate it. The issue of failure permeates every endeavor. Students are constantly being ranked–which is affirming for the top students, and miserable for the weaker students.

(By the way, I am not suggesting we can remove summative grading–we do need this. But it shouldn't be so central to the everyday learning process.)

Finally (you knew I would get here eventually) what it means to me in practical terms?

Small changes made over a period of time

1. Can't do away with the grade book. However, I can make some changes that will allow the grade book to be more formative. For me that will mean changing my categories from the 'products' of assessment to the 'skills' that students are supposed to be developing. I am working on that at the moment. I need to find a way that 'late work' and behavior etc. can be reported on in a separate form from actual academic progress. I want to change headings like 'formal writing' into: technical writing skills; forming an argument; fluency; vocabulary etc. I should be able to do this quite easily as I already use rubrics to show students what I am looking for in a writing piece.
   
   I think I will also be using close reading broken down into the different skills too: ability to analyze; ability to infer etc.
   
   

2. Developing my courses with clearer learning objectives. Breaking down each lesson into 'what exactly am I hoping they will learn today'. Breaking down each unit into what I am actually hoping they will achieve. Being willing to jettison a beloved text if it doesn't lend itself to the actual skills needed at this time.

3. Using classroom practices which support student involvement. Teaching students how to properly peer-assess–and how to properly self-assess. That process takes time, especially since there have been some poor attempts at it already and many teachers and students think it is pointless.

4. Helping students see that learning is messy. Getting them used to doing activities which are not graded but still have some useful result.

Did the ETS seminar help me with this?

Yes. The course director, Carol Commodore, was excellent. She gave us loads of information specifically geared to how we would use this in practical terms. I think that it was possibly the best introduction to AFL that I have heard and I have attended a few AFL seminars in the UK.

I believe the other teachers on the course were equally impressed. There were administrators, elementary, middle and secondary school teachers and several other people who were themselves involved in giving Professional Development. Of course they were the ones taking the most notes

The most appealing thing for many of the teachers was the balance of theory and practice. We had many scholarly articles and research projects to look at, as well as the practical nature of the material, students' work etc.

The movement for AFL- if you can call it that really has some quite profound things to say about how we teach. Not only that but it does seem to get the support of teachers when it is properly explained. I think administrators and parents would like it too when they see how it raises achievement. It will only spread if teachers take it up–it has to be grassroots or teachers and parents will see it as yet another initiative, which will pass. Funnily enough it does seem to make rather zealous 'converts' however, so I think it will take off. It has in other countries. Its greatest danger is that its terms will be watered down by people anxious to look as if they know what it is. There's very little use in paying it lip service. (Gosh, I am sounding like one of the zealots myself now!)

Big Question

Can I sustain this? Can I develop it? I probably need to find some support. I am thinking of asking my principal if he will form a teaching and learning group in the school. Most people are pretty stretched at the moment, so not sure if that will happen.

In a way AFL was the reason behind starting my education blog–I wanted to reflect more on my teaching and get feedback from others.

Hope this is helpful. And that you are still awake...

Investment Outlook for Education Businesses

Video interviews

Following are interviews of Jeff Fromm (left),Partner at Dorsey and Whitney Law firm and member of the Kidron private equity fund and John Shea (right), Chief Operating Officer of Berkery Noyes Investment Bankers. These interviews were conducted at the SIIA Ed Tech Business Forum in New York on December 2, 2008. In each five minute interview, they talk about:

• What types of companies can be financed or sold today?
• How has this changed over last year?
• How would you weigh starting a company versus finding a company you can help grow?

Notes from the SIIA Ed Tech Business Forum, December 2008

What is happening in education in the UK?

Robin Warner from the van Tullekin group pointed out that trends in UK education often lead those in the US by about 18 months. Here are the trends she thought we should be aware of:

• Specifications for adoptions require that all products and services include professional development; if your product does not include professional development as part of implementation, it will not make the adoption list.
• There is more flexibility in government technology grants. In the past UK government grants have been targeted for content only, they are now broader; any technology product is eligible.
• Technology budgets are increasing, but software is declining by 5%. More money is going into systems.
• Vocational schools and enrollments are growing, both in secondary and post-secondary.
• There is a growing backlash against testing, although little action yet.

Robin Warner's data on K12 education in the US

• 74% of educaiton technology spending is in post-secondary, while 36% is K12.
• Technology spending in educating is increasing at 5% per year.
• There were only 4 M&A deals by mid-level education companies in 2008.
• There is a qualitative change in the types of deals being discussed. In 2007, deals were all cash, now there are more contingencies such as earn outs, equity, and assumption of liabilities.
• The hot areas: mobile learning, blended learning, online assessment, distance learning, student-teacher-admin-parent portals, online collaboration, 24/7 access and extending the school day, professional development, interactive content for white boards, and games for education.

Vivek Kamath's data on post-secondary

Vivek Kamath is a director at Berkery Noyes specializing in education and training.

• For profit institutions had 8% of enrollment in 2007, 9% in 2008, and are expected to have 13% by 2013.
• The number of students enrolled in online classes has been growing by 24% per year over the last four years. They were 2% of enrollments in 2001, and are now 12%.
• Higher Education companies are near their 12-month highs on the stock market, pointing out their counter-cyclicality, and that investors use investments in higher-ed as a hedge.
• While postsecondary companies could be sold for about 3.5 times revenue in 2007, today the multiple is closer to 2.

Michael Marchesano summary

Michael Marchesano is Managing Director at The Jordan, Edmiston Group, which consults on mergers and acquistions.

• Strong companies can still be sold (strong recurring revenue, market leadership)
• Because of the high uncertainty of today's economy, financial buyers are likely to give lower valuations than strategic buyers, since they know less about the market.
• In June, 31 states predicted budget gaps, and that has increased. Arizona led the pack, with a 20% gap in their budget. The question is how much, not whether, they will all cut education spending.

Chris Curran summary

Chris Curran is a managing director at Berkery Noyes.

• M&A deals are down 1/3 from last year, which was the best year ever.
• Private Equity (PE) firms have raised one-third more capital this year than last year.
• More capital was raised than used, which puts pressure on funds to find investmants, as most funds have a window, after which they must be returned.
• PE firms are generally looking at companies with $15 million sales ($5 million EBITDA) as a minimum.
• There are a lot of education companies in the $5M to $10M sales range. The difficulty for these companies to get to the level to attract PE, is that to grow to the $20M+ level generally requires 50% of revenue devoted to sales and marketing, and the firms usually do not have the cash flow for that level of commitment.

Frank Bonsal summary

Brank Bonsal is a partner in New Markets Venture Partners

• If you are going to look for money today, look for a small amount, but from people with deep pockets, investors who can continue to fund you after you have reached the next stage and a higher valuation.
• The stigma of a down round is so great that you should be willing to accept a lower valuation for your first round of investment in your company.

Kevin Custer summary on Angel Investors in education

Kevin Custer is a Founding Principal with ARC Capital Development

• Angel investors are out there. They need a place to invest outside of the stock market and real estate.
• Deals with angel investors will usually be a note with interest that is convertible into stock at a later round.
• Rather than valuing the company at the time the Angel's invest, value their investment as a premium to the next round, postponing valuation until the company has customers and a working product.

Tight Education Market Emphasizes Need for Smart Selling

Alan Stern talked with Karen Meany of Simba's Electronic Education Report (EER) about selling educational materials and introducing new products into the school market in challenging economic times. Formerly national sales director for the Siboney Learning Group (St. Louis), Stern now provides sales management services at Academic Business Advisors (Chappaqua, N.Y.), helping clients identify the right channel for their products and services. This article is copied from the December 1 Issue of EER with the author's permission.

EER: How does a market downturn impact the selling process?

One of the most important things is to position a product to address specific needs, as opposed to a discretionary product or “nice to have.” Also, as districts increasingly tighten up on spending, publishers are going to have to provide measurable results for their products; accountability for both results and purchases will be key.

EER: What funding sources should companies look to now?

As funding tightens, federal funding becomes more important. Th ere are more specific requirements that control it; it’s difficult to reallocate for purposes other than what it was intended for. Also, there are specific time frames, quite often, where the funds do need to be spent. What’s happening now is that federal funds are going to be targeted by more and more of the publishers because they are the available funds. Additionally, there are opportunities for partnerships with corporations and foundations that are interested in providing support for schools, especially as funding gets tighter.

EER: What are the challenges for new companies in this environment?

What we try to do at ABA is to match the product and service with the right sales channel. If the product is heavily content-oriented, it is important to have someone who understands what the content means and how it is implemented. If the product is more administrative or data-oriented, it might do better with someone with a different skill set.

The biggest obstacle for the emerging companies is brand awareness. Increasingly, the education market is being overwhelmed by marketing. There is so much noise in the market now, it’s hard for a new company to make headway. An advantage that wasn’t available before is e-mail and Web marketing. They have leveled the playing field a bit, but nothing beats feet on the street. Experienced salespeople bring so much to the table, there is no better way to reach a customer.

EER: We hear that sales organizations are now partners with schools, is this really happening?

Salespeople who have been in the industry for awhile are looked to as a resource. Schools have specific needs. Many schools have a wealth of materials available to them. Quite often what someone will say is: I don’t need one more book, I don’t need one more software program, I need to solve a specifi c problem. Increasingly, sales are focused on addressing that problem. It could be an increasing ELL population or a change in state standards.

A perfect example is what has been going on in California where there is a requirement that all eighth-graders are going to take algebra. All of a sudden that change requires a commensurate change in what the support materials are. If you address the specific pain, not only do you get a better response, but I think the schools get a better result.

EER: Does selling technology-enabled products to schools require more long-term involvement than selling other educational materials?

One of the biggest problems with software is it makes a lot of sense to present it and market it, but the use is where it falls off . The IES (Institute of Education Sciences) study on the effectiveness of software last year found no measurable results. But when you read the study, two things stood out. Th e teachers felt they were well-trained before they started using the software, but after they started using it they felt they were not well trained. Th at speaks right away to professional development. The other point is no one determined there was a need for the software with the students who were using it.

Two parts need to be considered: the nuts and bolts of the software—how do you enter students, what kind of reports are available—but the aspect that is likely to lead to better results is the implementation of the software. In a school, there may be a basal textbook and formative assessment being used, direct instruction going on and now there’s a software component. If those components aren’t integrated—if the teacher doesn’t know when to use the appropriate part of the software with a specific chapter in the textbook, for example—it will never be successful. The implementation and integration of all the tools is important.

EER: Are teacher learning communities and social networking sites changing the selling process?

They provide the ability for an emerging company to get more awareness in the market, but it’s a slow process. I don’t know that anybody has been able to quantify that they have increased their sales X% because they are blogging or using RSS feeds. But teachers rely on the recommendations of other teachers. Th e classic is when you walk into a school and are asked who is using your product. Social networking can go a long way and I think use of it is increasing. You see larger companies, like Microsoft and major publishers, getting involved.